St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-07
MIR. pONNELLV2S BILLS.
Re Explains Their Meaning and
Intent and Oulments Thereon

He Explains Their Meaning and
Intent and Ommemts Thereon
Mr.. Donnely, being interviewed as to the
nature Of the bills introduced by him. ex-
planned that:
The amendment to the constitution was to
bring about annual sessions OF the legislature
ms te8d Of biennial sessions, as now. He said
that it was ridiculous for great state of n
million and quarter people to try to Get
along with an average session of one month
in year have named, he said. eighty DAYS
as the period for which the legislators can be
paid This is, | think. an Improvement on
the present system, combining the session to
sixty days. Under my bill the session. in an
emergency, could be protra tied be- ond eighty
days, but the members would only draw paw
for eighty days
In reference to his bill to prevent the use
of free railroad passes, Mr.. Donnelly said It
would be useless to simply declare it illegal;
you must make every officer swear that he
had not used one before he drew his nav
This would hold them. He had made the bin
take effect on the lst of May next MANY of
the members OF the present legislature are
poor men; they have received passes; they
will have to visit lheir families once or twice
during the session; ii is hard to ask them to
deny themselves courtesy extended TO all
er pre- iecessors. He intended to offer n
bill to provide that all future legislators
should have mileage for two trips home dur
ing the session. You must not expect TOO
much OF human nature. If the present leg
islature passed the bill they would correct
the pass evil for all the future. and their con-
stituents would forgive them if they used
passes themselves for the last time this VIM
ter. For myself | use no passes and do NOT
postpone the operation of the bill for anv
personal reason. but out of Difference 10
worthy men who live long distances from
here, whose pay is small, and who cannot at
ford trips home if they have to pay their fare
l am especially DESTROYS to see our Judges OF
the courts prohibited from using passes
for it oftentimes happens that thew
have to decide between the railroad
companies ana private parties, and they must
either be ungrateful or dishonest if they DO
not lean to those who have practically given
them hundreds of dollars. MIR. Donnelly said
that his bill to
SECURE PURITY OF ELEC IONS
was an absolute necessity. Our elections
have become fearfully corrupt No poor man
could run against rich man for office
Money is all powerful a large part of the
population is eagerly waiting for elections
to be bought. Tle man elected has to spend
a large sum to win, and then he is strongly
tempted TO steal to get back his expenditures
The election is the harvest time tor the sa-
looms and the bummerS. The free beer and
whisky flow like water. To many candidates
the canv. SIS is one continuous drunk. Even
men who reach lucrative offices are ruined by
tlS ca pSuSe Oh TG-el6SIlOn. mere Is no cure
but law that will put an end 10 the whole
business. The candidates don't like the
present system, but they can't put stop to
it, The legislature must do that 1t seems
hard to say that candidate must not treat a
friend to a glass of liquor, but you must
draw the line somewhere. If you let him
treat one man how can you stop him from
treating u thousand? And then his campaign
consists in going from saloon TO saloon and
mailing everybody drink within half
mile of the place. 1t takes a
community six months to overcome
the d moralizing effect OF single
election, AID many men then and there form
the habits that ruin them for life Let US
make oar elections respectable. Let them be
appeals to the minds OF The voters, and not to
their vices. My bill allows ample expendi-
lures for all legitimate purposes. 1t requires
the party elected to swear that he has not
violated this law before he can take his Office.
If he has violated it, his competitor who has
not will take the Office. Thus the decent can
didates have an inducement to watch the cor
ruptiouists. No man viii want to swear
falsely. He not only runs the risk of going
to jail, but he viii be disqualified from hold
ing an office thereafter. The candidates will
hail such a measure as blessed relief from
perncious and ruinous system. A man can
then run for Office without self degradation,
and truth and right will prevail. The only
ones who will suffer will be the saloon men
and the bummers. but all the rest of the COM
munity will be elevated and benefited by the
change.